We have a new leader in the ugliest front end, the BMW M4 and M3. You think they would remember Chris Bangle.

 

No way, all the Toyota/Lexus "Predator" grills are far uglier.

 

LOL I'm part of a car group (drives+meet) in our group chat that's all we've been talking about the past 2 days. Enough so that the BMW owners left the chat most likely to cancel thier ORDERS!

 

They are still nowhere near as ugly as revolting Lexus front end. Also, Bangle was mostly about ugly end not front.

 

Also, it is BMW M, it won't be around for long time as some catastrophic engine flaw will get all of them totaled by 2030. Unlike Lexus, that will be with us for a long time.

They tried engine block failure, VANOS failure, and main bearing failure. I think the new creative way to kill BMW engine would be connecting rod failure. You heard it here first.

 

Two words come to mind when I see this. 1.) Ewwww, and 2.) Fugly.

But some may love it? Perhaps it will grow on us



DC

 

The issue of ugly front ends is that fuel mileage mandates pushes everyone to lower drag coefficient. This results in cars that look very similar due to all using optimal aerodynamic shape. So designers have smaller "canvas" to work with and push this fugly just to avoid M3 looking a lot like Corolla XE.

 

I'll take a Lexus grille any day over this atrocity. It will look even worse with a US-size front plate!
I don't envy the detailer that has to apply PPF to that front end with all those creases and cutouts.

 

I read somewhere that front end styling changes are also partly due to EU pedestrian safety regulations.
I agree that the new BMW front end will take some getting used to - like maybe never?
Also agree on Lexus front styling, but Lexus is a Toyota brand and most of their products appear to be designed by committee.
Saw a review of the new Toyota Venza and the nicest thing they had to say about it is that it's less ugly than other Toyotas.

 

When it came time for my wife to replace her RX-350, she ordered a F-Pace months before they started shipping.
I believe she described the current Lexus front end as, "it looks like a goldfish with a strap-on."

 

We aren't alone here. In the August 2020 issue, TopGear had this to say about the BMW:

""You can't buy taste", "That grille? Utterly criminal. Best you can hope for is going for a dark colour and black trim to mask the horror. Or go and buy yourself a C-Class."

 

Dark color and black trim same for Lexus!

 

Bad advice. Should have been "Or buy yourself a Jaaaaag!" - it's Top Gear after all.

 

Well....Great news! I have found the designers' inspiration for the new front end!

DC

 

Oh, good god! I can't unsee that!

 

From that angle, it looks more like an angry air conditioner.

 

I think I have this figured out.
Toyota and BMW collaborated on the new Z4/Supra project. BMW provides engines and such to Toyota and in return, Toyota gave BMW a class in front end styling.

 

What...like a fungus?

 

That is indeed atrocious!

 

I am definitely in the minority here, but I really like the new M4 front end. It doesn’t look like anything else on the road; can’t say that about the new f-type front end.